IAEA Warning: Iran Has Increased Production of 60% Enriched Uranium Again

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned about the renewed increase in high-enriched uranium production in Iran. On Tuesday, December 26, the IAEA announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran has once again increased the speed and amount of 60% enriched uranium production. According to the agency, the amount of 60% enrichment in Iran, which had decreased to 3 kilograms per month, has increased again. The IAEA confirmed that Iran has raised the amount of 60% enriched uranium hexafluoride produced at the Fordow and Natanz sites to about 9 kilograms per month since the end of November. Uranium enriched to 60% is close to weapons-grade. Earlier, on Monday, December 18, Western powers involved in the nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic accused the Iranian government of 'developing and testing ballistic missiles,' 'transferring hundreds of drones to Russia,' and 'enriching uranium to an unprecedented level of 60%' during a six-month Security Council meeting. Representatives from Britain, France, and Germany also stated that Iran's enriched uranium reserves are now 22 times the limit set in the 'JCPOA' agreement and have no justification for civilian activities, and the current path only brings the Iranian government closer to nuclear weapons capabilities. According to the IAEA, as the UN nuclear watchdog, the Islamic Republic has violated the terms specified in the 'JCPOA' agreement, and 60% enrichment is 'close to the level required for weapons production,' which is unjustifiable for a country that claims it does not have a nuclear weapons program. Previously, Laura Holgate, the US ambassador to the IAEA, criticized the actions of the Islamic Republic that have 'weakened' the agency's efforts to ensure the peaceful nature of Tehran's nuclear program. The IAEA has been warning about the Islamic Republic's nuclear program for years, and the US and the European Union have sanctioned the Iranian government and officials for advancing a suspicious nuclear program and uranium enrichment with military applications. Tehran claims it pursues its nuclear program solely for peaceful purposes, a claim the agency remains suspicious of.